Darrell Waltrip celebrates his memorable win in the 1989 Daytona 500. (Photo: Darrell Waltrip Motorsports)

“I think Justin Lofton will be the top rookie this season. He finished 16th in his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut last year at Michigan, won six ARCA races and claimed the series championship. The kid isn’t quite 24 years old, so he has a bright future.” -- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter

“Justin Lofton and Austin Dillon are two solid rookie candidates. I was quite impressed with Lofton’s ARCA efforts the past two years with his 2009 title and six wins. Dillon also turned heads in the limited time he has spent in a stock car. But at this moment, I would give the Rookie of the Year nod to Lofton based on the experience he has on Dillon.” -- Phil Parsons, SPEED analyst

“This year’s Raybestos Rookie of the Year title should be fun to watch. The black No. 3 returns to fulltime competition with young Austin Dillon behind the wheel. Joining him with a yellow stripe on the bumper will be 2009 ARCA Series champion, Justin Lofton. Another rookie to keep an eye on is Parker Kligerman, who will be filling in part-time for Brad Keselowski. I think it’s going to be a pretty good battle between those guys.” -- Ray Dunlap, SPEED reporter

SPEED: Who do you expect to show the most improvement over last season?

“Johnny Sauter and Timothy Peters made great second-half runs in ’09 and both enjoyed a trip to Victory Lane. With some consistency in 2010, both could be in the hunt.” -- Adam Alexander, SPEED reporter

“Most improved from 2009 will be Mike Skinner. With Gene Nead on board as his crew chief, this team will be a title contender again. His former teammate, Tayler Malsam, gets honorable mention with his move to Kyle Busch Motorsports.” -- Rick Allen, SPEED play-by-play announcer

Note: An Austin Dillon driver diary will begin running on SPEEDtv.com the week of Feb. 1.

SPEED™, anchored by its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR, is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. Now available in more than 79 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the industry leaders in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services. For more information, please visit SPEEDtv.com, the online motor sports authority.